Meet Our Executive Team

Chris McGugan is the CEO of Televerde, a global sales and marketing company that provides inside sales, demand generation, and customer experience solutions to B2B businesses around the world. The company’s unique business model provides career opportunities to individuals in disempowered communities, specifically incarcerated women.

Chris boasts more than 30 years of experience in technology development and leadership, with an emphasis on contact center management and innovation, customer service, operations, and software architecture and design. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President & General Manager of Oracle CX Service where he led the development of the next generation of customer service tools. Prior to Oracle, Chris held various leadership roles at industry-leading companies including Avaya, Sears, Saffron, Symbol, and Cisco. He has a demonstrated range of enduring leadership capabilities such as conviction, compassion, curiosity, and confidence, which are all essential to keeping up with the future of work.

As the CEO of Televerde, Chris finds fulfillment in using the leadership skills he’s developed over the years to drive business growth and long-term stakeholder value while supporting Televerde’s purpose-driven mission to embrace intentional hiring practices and provide career development opportunities to people who otherwise have limited prospects for sustainable employment.

Chris holds board advisory positions with Clearfly Communications and Orium. He graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.

Chris is actively involved in his community. He is the president-elect of the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council, Boy Scouts of America organization, and an advisor to Parents Helping Parents, a non-profit organization that helps special needs children and adults receive the support and services they need to reach their full potential. He’s also an advisor to Televerde Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides women impacted by incarceration with the personal and professional development programs necessary to successfully join and advance in the global workforce.

Chris lives in San Jose, Calif. with his wife Allison and their three school-age children.

Vince is responsible for driving the company’s growth strategy through acquisitions, strategic partnerships, investments, co-development, and innovation. Vince, who began his career with Televerde in 1995, previously led our call centers in Perryville and played a critical role in the creation of our sales networks, expansion of our contact centers, and key account relationship management. Vince has a degree in Journalism from Northern Arizona University. Vince enjoys escaping to his cabin in Prescott, Arizona, teeing off at new golf courses around the globe, and supporting his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers.

Michelle Cirocco is the Executive Director of Televerde Foundation and the Chief Social Responsibility Officer for Televerde. She joined Televerde in 1999 and has held several leadership positions including Chief Marketing Officer. Michelle was recently named a World-Changing Woman in Conscious Business by Conscious Company magazine. Her journey of transformation was also featured by Forbes in a two-part interview. Michelle is a strong customer champion with a tireless commitment to using business as a force for good. Michelle earned her MBA from Arizona State University where she also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Center for Services Leadership (CSL). The globally-recognized CSL strives to improve the business and academic understanding of the distinctive and growing role of services in organizations. She holds multiple certifications from SiriusDecisions. Michelle is an avid TED fan and organized and hosted TEDxPerryvilleCorrectional, the first TEDx to be held in an Arizona prison. The event looked behind the curtain of incarceration to show the potential that exists in providing second chances. Michelle dedicates a significant amount of her free time giving back to her local community by volunteering for the Phoenix Rescue Mission and Athena International. She is a member of the National Association of Female Executives and MBA Women International.

As Vice President and Head of Global Sales, Alicia thrives on architecting bespoke programs for clients that deliver tangible ROI, partnering with Fortune 500 companies across all industries.

Additionally, Alicia is an advocate for the Televerde business model. Her work ethic and passion for her clients’ success is only matched by her drive and determination to provide meaningful work opportunities for the incarcerated women who come after her.

Eric Crawford’s role in Televerde’s executive team is underpinned by a stellar professional journey, marked by tenures at notable firms such as Moatable and Ernst & Young.

His expertise extends beyond mere numbers; it’s about making finance accessible and comprehensible. Eric leads our financial strategies and operations with an eye for detail and a commitment to transparency, turning complex data into actionable insights.

Eric is also deeply family-oriented. He is a father who cherishes time spent with his fiancée and their blended family of six wonderful children. A former Marine Corps veteran, Eric values time away from the desk, be it exploring the great outdoors or engaging in board games — moments that allow him to recharge and connect with loved ones.

Eric brings a wealth of professional experience to Televerde and his care for others makes him a perfect fit within the Televerde team. 

Kellie Walenciak is the head of Marketing and Communications for Televerde. In this role, Kellie is responsible for developing and executing a marketing strategy and brand image that sets Televerde apart in the market while building long-lasting relationships with customers. She oversees all aspects of internal and external digital marketing, brand messaging and management, content marketing, media relations, and employee communications.

Previously, Kellie spent 14 years at Avaya, where she last served as global head of Employee Engagement and executive communications partner to the CMO, head of HR, and General Counsel. Prior to Avaya, Kellie held marketing and communications roles at Prudential Financial and PSEG Energy Technologies.

Having built a career in communications that spans more than two decades, Kellie has developed a high tolerance for ambiguity, contradiction, and subtlety. She’s a proven grammar stickler and wields a heavy red pen–two traits that are greatly appreciated by her colleagues and underappreciated by her closest friends and family. Kellie gives back to her community by volunteering for the Televerde Foundation in Phoenix, AZ, and Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York. When she isn’t working, you’ll find Kellie spending time with her husband Matt and their three children, binge-watching a Netflix true-life crime series, hiking, playing tennis, and traveling. She also enjoys vegan cooking, weekends in Manhattan, and the occasional political debate.

Yolanda Slan is Televerde’s head of Human Resources. She is an experienced human resources and employment leader with a record of success building and enhancing HR programs in both the private and non-profit sectors.

Yolanda joins us from Southwest Center, where she last served as director of HR, managing all HR activities and enabling the organization to function at its highest level through the recruitment, development, and retention of high-performing, mission-aligned employees. She is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and she has a deep understanding of talent management strategies which has enabled her to create a positive impact in all of her past positions.

Justin Vogel is the General Manager of the SAP Program at Televerde. A graduate of Arizona State University, Justin is an innovative leader with deep expertise in the technology industry. Throughout his career, he has championed marketing and sales best-practices to enterprise and emerging customers across the globe. Justin is distinguished by his passion for business, his focus on collaborative team-building, and his commitment to meeting customer and market demands.

Outside of the office, Justin enjoys playing tennis, is an avid golfer, and loves to spend time outdoors with his family at every opportunity.

As the Director of Global Workforce Management, Jason Cortel leads the Global Workforce Management Team and acts as a strategic partner to Televerde’s senior leaders. He is responsible for the strategy and vision for Televerde’s global workforce command center, creating staffing plans, setting priorities and goals, and managing their execution. Jason also provides leadership, management, and direction to the worldwide resource management team, working diligently to optimize Televerde’s workforce, maximize revenue, and improve the employee experience

Ashley McDonald is Televerde’s director of CX and Revenue Operations. A firm believer in the concept of servant leadership, Ashley is dedicated to driving growth in every aspect of Televerde’s business, including our revenue, our relationships with clients, and our people.  She has extensive go-to-market success across all verticals and company sizes, establishing vision and strategies coupled with execution paths to yield quick results, long term success and sustainability while achieving positive ROI.

Ashley excels at partnering with core business operations to significantly improve service delivery, operational performance, customer experience, retention, and growth. With a keen eye for detail and process development and management, she is customer-obsessed with a laser-like focus on exceeding expectations. Ashley is also a strong advocate for Televerde’s business model and a keen mentor to those who have graduated from Televerde’s prison-to-workforce program.

Chris Mercer is a high-performing B2B sales and marketing leader who brings to Televerde more than 20 years of experience planning, developing and implementing data driven, predictable revenue, marketing and demand generation frameworks.

Chris joined in 2016 and is responsible for leading and growing the EMEA markets for Televerde. He is passionate about developing his team and providing them opportunities to flourish in their career, both with Televerde and in the future.

As Televerde’s director of Information Technology, Ashley Cruz brings a wealth of knowledge about information systems and nearly 13 years of experience utilizing marketing automation platforms, implementing system integrations, and developing complex strategies to optimize business processes and assist with attaining long-term objectives within our organization and on behalf of our partners to support growth and strengthen Televerde’s partnerships.

Ashley is dedicated to bridging the gap between sales and marketing teams by offering customized strategies and best practices that meet individual goals and foster team collaboration. Ashley believes that the right mix of technology and human touch mixed with determination and innovation can help any company or individual to overcome their obstacles and exceed their expectations.

She is passionate about human equality and empowering others to shine in the workplace and outside of it. An avid hiker, Ashley loves spending time outdoors, especially with her pit bulls. 

As Televerde’s Director of Inbound Operations, Kent Hansen’s role is underpinned by the creative and empathetic style of leadership he developed throughout his career leading successful inbound customer support teams. 

Kent earned his MBA from the University of Miami and has spent much of his career building and developing high-performing inbound teams for large organizations across various industries. He not only brings a wealth of professional experience to Televerde but also a passion for helping people grow and develop professionally.

As the Senior Operations Manager for Televerde in LATAM, Damian Ocaña is responsible for a critical component of Televerde’s international business strategy. He holds MBA from the International Business Management Institute which is a complement to his long and successful background as a teleservices leader. Damian is committed to growing Televerde’s business in LATAM and driving success for Televerde’s clients in every geography.